A Wilmot-area farmer has been convicted twice within the span of a year for offences related to operating an unlicensed milk processing plant and interfering with detained food products, according to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
Joris Salverda, whose business operates at 2915 Huron Road, was found guilty in two separate cases following investigations by the Ministry’s Regulatory Compliance Unit (RCU).
The most recent conviction, delivered on March 24, 2025, related to a period between October 27, 2022, and April 27, 2023, when Salverda operated a milk plant without a licence, contrary to the Milk Act. At the time, he was also under a court-ordered probation for a previous offence involving an unlicensed facility. Investigators executed a search warrant at the location and found a fully operational milk plant with no provincial licence. He was fined $50,000 for the Milk Actviolation, received a $1,000 fine for breaching probation, and was issued a new two-year probation order by Justice of the Peace Anna M. Hampson in Kitchener Provincial Offences Court.
An earlier conviction was registered on December 20, 2024, when Justice of the Peace Jennifer Thompson found Salverda guilty of breaching food safety rules. During an unrelated inspection on April 27, 2023, RCU officers discovered unlabelled meat products at the Wilmot property and detained them for further inspection. The products were tagged and placed in cold storage to preserve their integrity. However, a follow-up visit revealed that the detained products had been removed without authorization. Salverda was fined $2,500 for breaking detention under Ontario Regulation 222/05, made pursuant to the Food Safety and Quality Act, and was also issued a two-year probation order.
These convictions follow extensive investigations and enforcement actions to ensure compliance with Ontario’s food safety and licensing regulations.
